Method for self-orienting a planting pot on a tray

ABSTRACT

Planting pots and a multi-compartment tray are provided, the pots and tray having a self-orienting configuration for urging the pots into proper alignment when same are placed within compartments of the tray. The pots include angled recesses disposed radially about the bottom portion of the pots. The compartments of the tray include angled protrusions disposed radially about the bottom portion of the compartment. The angled recesses of the pot engage with the angled protrusions of the compartment when the pot is placed in the compartment to urge the pot into proper alignment. A plurality of slots are included along an upper portion of each pot for allowing optional identification tags to be inserted thereinto. The identification tags, in addition to logos, artwork, or other indicia, if included, are positioned by the self-orienting configuration of the pots and tray to face in a desired direction.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/423,476, filed Apr. 25, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,454,864,the entire disclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to planting pots and a multi-compartmenttray for holding same. More specifically, the present invention relatesto planting pots and a multi-compartment tray having matchingself-orienting configurations for aligning and locking the pots intoposition in the tray and for automatically orienting tags and otherindicia in a uniform direction.

2. Related Art

Planting pots come in a variety of designs and configurations. Such potsare frequently used to plant flowers, vines, small shrubbery, and othertypes of plants. Often, planting pots include apertures located on thebottom portion thereof to allow drainage of water from soil packed intothe pot and to allow aeration. Additionally, planting pots are oftenmanufactured of lightweight, plastic materials that are suitable fortemporary use by garden centers, gardeners, and the like.

It is known to provide trays for allowing a plurality of planting potsto be stored therein and carried thereby. Such trays allow a pluralityof pots to be conveniently transported from one location to another, andalso allow for plants of similar types to be grouped together. Further,pot trays are often used in combination with identification tagsattached to portions of the pots to allow for quick grouping andidentification of plants.

A particular problem with existing planting pots, and trays usedtherewith, is that the pots are not capable of being automaticallyaligned and oriented when placed in trays. For example, when pots areprovided with identification tags and are placed in the trays, one mustmanually shift the pots to orient same so that the identification tagsare all facing in a desired direction. Moreover, even if identificationtags are not used with the pots, existing pots require manual adjustmentto properly orient the pots within the storage compartments of trays.Further, if indicia (e.g., logos or advertisements) are included on thepots, the pots must be manually configured to orient the indicia in auniform direction and/or to improve visibility of same.

Accordingly, what would be desirable, but has not heretofore beenprovided, is a multi-compartment tray and planting pots having aself-orienting configuration that automatically aligns and orients thepots when same are placed within the compartments of the tray.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to planting pots and a multi-compartmenttray, both having a self-orienting configuration for urging the potsinto proper alignment when same are placed within the compartments ofthe tray. Each of the pots comprises an upper portion, a body portion,and a bottom portion. The bottom portion includes a center portion and aplurality of alignment recesses disposed radially about the centerportion. Each of the plurality of alignment recesses include angledsurfaces for co-acting with the angled surfaces on the tray for urgingthe pot into a desired orientation when the pot is placed on the tray. Aplurality of apertures are provided on the bottom portion for allowingdrainage of water from soil in the pot and for providing aeration. Railsmay be provided on the bottom portion for maintaining the pot a distanceabove the tray to allow water to drain from the apertures when the potis positioned on the tray. The upper portion includes a plurality ofslots that allow optional identification tags to be inserted therein foridentifying the type of plant in the pot. The identification tags, ifprovided, are oriented in a uniform direction when the pots are alignedon the tray.

A multi-compartment tray is provided for holding a plurality of plantingpots. Each compartment of the tray includes an upper portion, a bottomportion, and a compartment wall therebetween. The bottom portion of eachcompartment includes a plurality of alignment protrusions disposedradially about a central portion. The alignment protrusions includeangled surfaces that co-act with the angled surfaces of the alignmentrecesses of the pot to urge the pot into a desired orientation when thepot is placed in the compartment. A plurality of bevels located near theupper portion provide room for allowing insertion of the optionalidentification tags into the slots of the pots when the pots arepositioned in the tray.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other important objects and features of the invention will beapparent from the following Detailed Description of the Invention, takenin connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a planting pot according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the planting pot of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the planting pot of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the planting pot of the presentinvention, taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of the multi-compartment tray of the presentinvention.

FIG. 6 is a partial isometric cross-sectional view showing one of thecompartments of the multi-compartment tray of FIG. 5 in greater detail.

FIG. 7 is a top view of the planting pot of the present inventionpositioned in a compartment of the multi-compartment tray.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the planting pot and compartment ofFIG. 7, taken along the line 8-8.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the planting pot and compartment ofFIG. 7, taken along the line 9-9.

FIG. 10 is a front view of the planting pot of FIG. 1 with a plant tag.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to planting pots and a multi-compartmenttray, each having a self-orienting configuration for urging the potsinto proper alignment when same are placed within the compartments ofthe tray. The planting pots include angled recesses disposed radiallyabout the bottom portion of the pots. The compartments of the trayinclude angled protrusions disposed radially about the bottom portion ofthe compartment. The angled recesses of the pot engage with the angledprotrusions of the compartment when the pot is placed in the compartmentto urge the pot into proper alignment. One or more slots may be includedalong an upper portion of each pot for allowing optional identificationtags to be inserted thereinto. The identification tags, if included, arepositioned by the self-orienting configuration of the pots and tray toface in a desired direction.

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a plantingpot, generally indicated at 10, according to the present invention. Thepot 10 comprises a body portion 20, an upper portion 30, and a bottomportion 40, forming a pot of a conventional shape as is known in theart. The upper portion 30 is connected to the body portion 20 by ashoulder 32, and includes a rim 36 connected to the shoulder 32. Theupper portion 30 could include one or more slots 34 extending throughthe shoulder 32 for allowing identification tags to be insertedtherethrough for identifying the type of plant contained in pot 10. Anynumber of slots and identification tags can be provided.

The bottom portion 40 comprises a number of features that allow the pot10 to be self-oriented when placed in a storage tray, such as themulti-compartment tray of the present invention discussed herein. Acentral portion 42 is disposed on the bottom portion 40, about which aplurality of alignment recesses 44 are disposed radially on the bottomportion 40 of the pot. As will be discussed in greater detail below withreference to FIGS. 2-4, the alignment recesses 44 are generallytriangular in shape, and include angled and radial surfaces that co-actwith alignment protrusions of the multi-compartment tray of the presentinvention to urge the pot 10 to rotate into proper alignment. Aplurality of bevels 46 are provided near the circumference of the bottomportion 46 and include drainage apertures 48 to ensure proper drainageof water and other liquids from the pot 10 and to provide aeration ofsoil contained within the pot 10. Additionally, the apertures 48 aredisposed about the flat surfaces of the bottom portion 40. Anyconfiguration of the bevels 46 and drainage apertures 48 are consideredwithin the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the planting pot 10 of the present invention.As mentioned previously, the bottom portion 40 of the pot 10 includes aplurality of alignment recesses 44 disposed radially about the centralportion 42 that co-act with alignment protrusions on the tray to urgethe pot 10 into proper alignment. Each of the alignment recesses 40include angled surfaces 52 and 54, in addition to a radial surface 50,that are joined at edges to form a tapered or generally triangularconfiguration. Second radial surfaces 56 join the edges of the alignmentrecesses 44 to the circumference of the central portion 42. When the pot10 is positioned in a compartment of a tray having alignment protrusionsmatching the alignment recesses 44, if the pot is not perfectly aligned,the weight of the pot 10 (or its contents) causes the surfaces 50, 52,and 54 to slide against the alignment protrusions, imparting arotational force on the pot 10 as the pot moves downward. Thisrotational force urges the pot 10 into proper alignment, thusself-orienting the pot 10 when it is placed in the tray.

Optionally, a plurality of rails 60 can be provided on the bottomportion 40 to suspend the bottom portion 40 of the pot 10 a desireddistance above a surface (e.g., above the bottom of a tray container).This prevents the apertures 48 of the pot 10 from being blocked,allowing drainage and aeration when the pot is in place. The rails 60could be of any desired height and configuration.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the planting pot 10 of the present invention.The body portion 20 of the pot 10 defines a cavity wherein soil andplants can be potted, as with conventional pots. The view of the bottomportion includes the same features as shown in the bottom view of FIG.2, though a recess shown in FIG. 2 is a protrusion in FIG. 3. Thus, aplurality of protrusions 74 are formed by angled surfaces 64 and 66, andradial surface 62. The angled surfaces 64 and 66 and radial surface 62are joined at edges to define generally triangular-shaped protrusions.

The shoulder 32 of the pot 10 may includes one or more slots 34 forallowing identification tags to be inserted therein. The identificationtags can rest against the rim 36 of the pot 10 after insertion into theslots 34, allowing viewing from desired angles. Preferably, when aplurality of pots are provided, tags are inserted into one or moredesired slots 34, and when the pots are positioned in amulti-compartment tray and are self-oriented, the tags are automaticallypositioned to face in a uniform direction. This obviates the need toindividually position each pot to face the tags in the same direction.Additionally, indicia included on the sides of the pots, such asartwork, text, logos, or other indicia, are automatically configured toface in a uniform direction, without requiring human intervention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the planting pot of the presentinvention, taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 1. The entire pot 10 ispreferably formed in a single, unitary construction of plastic typicallyutilized to manufacture conventional planting pots. The alignmentrecesses 44 can be formed using any suitable manufacturing process, suchas molding. Any material can be utilized to form the planting pots andmulti-compartment tray of the present invention, including, but notlimited to, plastic or other polymeric material.

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of the multi-compartment tray of the presentinvention, indicated generally at 100. The tray 100 comprises aplurality of compartments 110 for storing pots, such as the planting pot10 of the present invention. The compartments 110 each comprise a bodyportion 120 and a bottom portion 140 having angled protrusions foraligning planting pots inserted in the compartments 110, as willhereinafter be discussed in greater detail. As shown in FIG. 5, eightcompartments 110 are provided on tray 100, but of course, any number ofcompartments could be provided. Optionally, one or more carrying handlescould be provided on the tray 100 to assist with lifting andtransporting a plurality of pots. Further, a plurality of trays 100could be stacked on top of one another for storage.

FIG. 6 is a partial isometric cross-sectional view showing one of thecompartments 110 of the multi-compartment tray 100 in greater detail.The bottom portion 140 of the compartment 110 includes a center portion142, about which a plurality of alignment protrusions 144 are disposedradially. Each of the alignment protrusions 144 includes angled surfaces152 and 154, and radial surface 150, joined at edges to form a taperedprotrusion. In operation, the bottom portion of a planting pot, such asthe bottom portion 40 of the planting pot 10 shown in FIGS. 1-4 anddescribed earlier, is positioned against the alignment protrusions 144when the pot 10 is inserted into the compartment 110. If alignment isnot perfect, gravitational force causes the surfaces of the alignmentrecesses 44 of the pot 10 to slide against the surfaces of the alignmentprotrusion 144. The sliding action of the recesses 44 against theprotrusions 144 imparts a rotational force against the pot 10, causingsame to rotate as the recesses 44 slide down the protrusions 144. Therotational force urges the pot 10 into alignment, thus self-orientingthe pot 10.

The pot 10 can be urged to orient in a desired direction by altering theangle at which the pot 10 falls into the compartment 110 of the tray100. For example, the pot 10 can be urged to self-orient to the right(e.g., twist to the right upon placement into the tray) if the pot 10 isdropped into the compartment 110 at an angle with reference to thenormal of the tray 100. Further, the pot 10 can be urged to self-orientto the left if the pot 10 is dropped into the compartment 110 at adifferent angle with reference to the normal of the tray 100.

A channel 156 could optionally be provided to retain fluid drained fromthe pots inserted into the compartments. It is conceivable that one ormore apertures could be provided on the channel 156 for allowing excessfluid to drain from both the pots and the compartments. The top portion130 of the compartments 110 include a shoulder 132 upon which theshoulder 32 of the pot 10 can rest when placed in the compartment 110.Preferably, the shoulder 132 and the upper part of the body portion 120include bevels 138 for providing room for accommodating one or moreidentification tags inserted into the slots 34 of the pot 10 when thepot 10 is positioned in the compartment 110. Importantly, whenidentification tags are utilized with present invention, the tags areself-oriented to face a uniform direction when the pot 10 is oriented bythe alignment protrusions 144 and alignment recesses 44. This obviatesthe need for manually rotating the pots to face the tags in a uniformdirection, and makes possible the automated (e.g., via an automateddevice in a conveyor line) placement of a plurality of pots into thetray 100.

FIG. 7 is a top view of the pot 10 of the present invention, positionedin a compartment 110 of the multi-compartment tray 100. The plurality ofalignment recesses of the pot 10 co-act with the plurality of alignmentprotrusions of the compartment 110 to urge the pot 10 into properalignment. By urging the pot into alignment, one or more identificationtags provided in the slots 34 are automatically configured to face in auniform direction, without requiring human intervention to achieve suchalignment. This results in a decrease in the amount of human laborrequired when assembling pots into trays, thereby reducing the costsassociated with such labor. An identification tag 11 is shown with a pot10 in FIG. 10.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the planting pot and compartment ofFIG. 7, taken along the line 8-8. The alignment recesses 44 of thebottom surface 40 pot 10 co-act and mate with the alignment protrusions144 of the bottom surface 140 of the compartment 110 to urge the pot 10into proper alignment. The angled surfaces 52 and 54 of the recesses 44,in addition to the radial surfaces 50, slide against the angled surfaces152 and 154 and radial surfaces 150 of the compartment 110 to urge thepot 10 into alignment when same is placed within the compartment 110.The central portion 42 of the pot 10 is centered above the centralportion 142 of the compartment 110.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the planting pot and compartment ofFIG. 7, taken along the line 9-9. In this view, only a single alignmentrecess 44 and protrusion 144 is shown in cross-section. As can be seen,the angled surfaces 52 and 54 of the recess 44 co-act with the angledsurfaces 152 and 154 of the recess 144 to urge the pot 10 into properalignment when the pot 10 is placed in the compartment 110 of themulti-compartment tray of the present invention.

Having thus described the invention in detail, it is to be understoodthat the foregoing description is not intended to limit the spirit andscope thereof. What is desired to be protected by Letters Patent is setforth in the appended claims.

1. A method for orienting a planting pot comprising: obtaining aplanting pot having indicia on a side of the pot and a plurality ofalignment recesses on a bottom portion of the pot, each of the recessesincluding first and second angled surfaces joined at a radially orientedupper end; positioning the pot above a compartment of a tray, the trayhaving a plurality of compartments, each compartment having alignmentprotrusions on a bottom portion of the compartment, each of theprotrusions including first and second angled surfaces joined at aradially oriented upper end, the angled surfaces of the alignmentrecesses of the pot matching the angled surfaces of the alignmentprotrusions of the tray; releasing the pot; and allowing the pot to movein a downward direction such that the weight of the pot causes theangled surfaces of the alignment recesses of the pot to contact andslide along the angled surfaces of the alignment protrusions of the trayto align the indicia in an outwardly facing direction with respect tothe outer perimeter of the tray.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein thestep of allowing the angled surfaces of the alignment recesses of thepot to contact and slide along the angled surfaces of the alignmentprotrusions of the tray comprises allowing the weight of the pot tocause the angled surfaces of the alignment recesses to slide against theangled surfaces of the alignment protrusions along a horizontaldirection and a vertical direction to align the indicia in a generallyforward facing direction with the indicia positioned to be aligned withan edge of the tray.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising thestep of inserting an identification tag into a slot of a shoulder of thepot.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the identification tag isautomatically oriented when the pot is urged into a desiredconfiguration.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of positioningthe pot in a compartment of a tray comprises placing the pot in thecompartment without having to align the alignment recesses with thealignment protrusions.
 6. A method for orienting a planting potcomprising: obtaining a planting pot having a tag slot and a pluralityof alignment recesses on a bottom portion of the pot ; positioning thepot above a compartment of a tray, the tray having a plurality ofcompartments, each compartment having alignment protrusions on a bottomportion of the compartment releasing the pot; and allowing the pot tomove in a downward direction such that the weight of the pot causes thealignment recesses to contact and slide along the alignment protrusionsalong a horizontal direction and a vertical direction to align the tagslot in an outwardly facing direction with respect to the outerperimeter of the tray.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the pot isurged into alignment when the pot is positioned in the compartment. 8.The method of claim 7, wherein the step of positioning the pot in acompartment of a tray comprises placing the pot in the compartmentwithout having to align the alignment recesses with the alignmentprotrusions.
 9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step ofinserting an identification tag into the tag slot of a shoulder of thepot.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the identification tag isautomatically oriented when the pot is urged into a desiredconfiguration.
 11. The method of claim 6, wherein the protrusions aredisposed radially on a bottom portion of the compartment, and theplurality of protrusions include first and second sloped surfaces. 12.The method of claim 11, wherein the pot is oriented in a generallyforward facing direction in the tray.
 13. The method of claim 6, whereinthe step of positioning the pot comprises positioning a forward face ofthe pot in misalignment with a forward face of the tray, themisalignment being less than 45 degrees out of alignment, the recessesand protrusions sliding along each other in a horizontal and verticaldirection to orient the pot in the tray.